Welcome to the Saint Johns River. Please take a few moments to take in the view of this beautiful and unique river from Riverside Memorial Park.
What you are looking at:
This is near the end of a 310 mile long river. Starting in Indian River County the drop in elevation is just under 30 feet from start to finish. This is why the river flow is extreamly slow and why this is considered a "lazy river". It is divided into 3 sections called basins. The upper, middle and lower. Since this river flows from south to north the upper basin is in the south and the lower basin is in the north. You are standing near the end of the lower basin right now.
The lower basin is the last 101 miles that starts at the confluence of Ocklawaha and St. Johns rivers just south of Palatka. Between Palatka and Jacksonville the river widens becoming 1 to 3 miles from bank to bank. As the river becomes wider the average depth of the water becomes more and more shallow. At it's widest point the water can become only 3 feet deep depending on the current tide.
The river becomes narrower as it approaches down town Jacksonville. In fact the narrower the river becomes the deeper it will get and the faster it will flow. This narrower section of the river has the same amount of water as the wider section just in a different way. Think of the way a funnel works to concentrate fluid into a smaller space. The river near down town can be as deep as 40 feet. This is due to the natural formation of the river as well as man made dredging to provide clearance for large ships.
Q 1. Look due south to the distant shoreline. Using the tall white and orange structure as a reference point. Estimate the distance from the posted coordinates (where you are standing) and that shore line.
Q1-B Name the structure.
Q 2. Look due east to that shoreline. Using another tall white and orange structure as a reference point estimate the distance from the posted coordinates (where you are standing) and that shoreline.
Q2-B Name that structure.
Q 3. Using what you've learned which shoreline do you think has deeper water between you and it?
Q 4. Look down into the water and estimate how deep you think it is. (You should be able to see the bottom looking directly down.)
If you like you could take a picture of yourself at your favorite spot near the river today and add it to your log.
To claim the find on this earth cache e-mail or message me the answers to the questions above. If the answers are not received in a timely manner your log may be subject to deletion.